COLUMBUS, MS – Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, TN beat David Gentry of Lewisburg, TN to the checkered flag by a nose to win the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series 40-lap Winter Classic on Saturday at Columbus Speedway. Gentry passed Johnson on the last lap for the lead, but R.J. powered underneath to take the win in the Miller Brothers Coal Warrior/604.
“I wasn’t sure I won it until they told me to go to the winner’s circle,” Johnson said. “I’m glad the finish line wasn’t any closer toward turn four, or David Gentry would be standing here. I really enjoyed that finish, and I hope the fans did too.”
Johnson and Gentry swapped the lead on numerous occasions. Johnson led the first lap, and then it was Gentry leading laps two through nine. Johnson drove around the outside of Gentry coming off the second turn on lap 10 to take the lead. Gentry battled Johnson wheel-to-wheel during the last two laps of the race, bringing the crowd to their feet.
Gentry threw a slider on the “Chattanooga Flash” in turn three on the final lap, and slide up in front of Johnson in turn four. Not to be denied, Johnson turned hard left, stood on the throttle, and powered underneath Gentry to win by less than two feet.
“David got a run on me going down the backstretch as we came up on a lapped car,” Johnson said. “I didn’t think he would go into the third turn as hard as he did, but when he slipped up in front of me, I just turned hard left, and got a good bite coming off the fourth turn.”
For Johnson and Gentry, the last two turns of the last lap in the main event were identical to the same turns on the final lap of the 10-lap StormPay.com Lightning Quick 6 Dash. Johnson used the same move to win that, and the pole position for the main event.
Gentry had to settle for second in the main event driving the Gentry Racing Mastersbilt/604. Gentry has a win and second-place effort in the first two 2006 StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series events, and now holds an eight-point lead in the National Touring point standings.
Jeff Smith of Villanow, GA took the third spot in the Smith & Sons Trucking Warrior/604. Smith was also the fast qualifier among the 42 entrants with a lap around the 3/10-mile high-banked clay oval in 15.040 seconds for an average speed of 59.840 miles per hour.
Frankie Beard of Hartwell, GA finished fourth in the Old 29 Golf Carts Barry Wright/604, and earned the Rookie of the Race honors. Beard is now tied with Johnson for the second spot in the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series National point standings. Mike Head of Ellenwood, GA came from the 14th starting spot to finish fifth in the Bearden Oil Company Rayburn/604.
Scott Cook of Shelbyville, TN was sixth in the KES, Inc. Warrior/604, and Carnell Parker of Clarksville, TN started 19th and finished seven in the Parker Racing Mastersbilt/604 to earn the NeSmith Chevrolet Hard Charger of the Race Award. Parker also won the first of two 12-lap B-Mains after starting 12th.
Shannon Buckingham of Morristown, TN took the eighth spot in the S & S Millwright Barry Wright/604. Buckingham moved up to the fourth spot in the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series National points chase, 14 points behind Beard and Johnson.
Rookie of the Year Candidate Michael Page of Douglasville, GA came from the 21st starting spot to finish ninth in the T & T Trucking Mastersbilt/604, and Tracy Watson of Carrollton, GA rounded out the top ten in the NAPA Auto Parts Rocket/604, coming back from an early race spin.
Johnson and Gentry led the 24-car starting field down for the green flag of the main event, and raced the first two laps wheel-to-wheel. Johnson edged Gentry to lead the first lap, but Gentry took the point on lap two. Michael Keener of Temple, GA stalled his Peach State Insurance Rocket/602 in turn two on lap four to bring out the first of five caution flags.
Gentry led Johnson, Smith, Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, GA in the Turner Excavating Rocket/604, and Beard down for the restart. Gentry and Johnson pulled away from Smith, and by lap seven, the lead duo were working lapped traffic. On lap ten, Gentry got caught behind a lapped car on the inside of the track, and Johnson powered by to take the lead.
Curtis Cline of Douglasville, GA spun the J.L. Brooks Construction Warrior/604 in turn four on lap 14 to bring out the second caution flag. Johnson led the field to the green for the restart with Gentry, Smith, Turner, Beard, Jeff Purvis of Clarksville, TN in the StormPay.com Warrior/604, Head, Denny Slayton of Rossville, GA, Zach Nichols of Cedartown, GA, and Cook in the top ten.
Watson spun down the front straightaway on the restart to light the caution bulb for the third time. After the restart, Purvis dropped out of the sixth spot on lap 17 with a broken power steering hose, but the field stayed green until lap 27 when Nichols spun the B & B Specialized Hauling GRT/604 in turn two.
Before that caution flag, Johnson and Gentry had pulled away from Smith and the rest of the field, but with things closed up for the restart, a battle started for the sixth through tenth positions. The five-car battle featured Head, Slayton, Cook, Parker, and Buckingham.
They all got together in turn one on lap 30, sending the defending StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series National Champion Slayton spinning through the infield in the Pete Slayton Motorsports GRT/604. During the last caution period of the race, Turner gave up the fourth spot to make a pit stop.
Johnson set the table for the ten-lap dash to the finish followed by Gentry, Smith, Beard, Head, Parker, Cook, Page, Buckingham, and Watson. Parker started smoking after the restart, and lost a spot to Cook. Buckingham passed Page for the eighth position, but during the final laps, the hardest fought battle was the one for the lead.
After Gentry seemed on his way to his second straight StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series win, Johnson had one last burst of horsepower out of his engine to power home with the victory.
In other preliminary action, Jeff Jones of Dalton, GA won the second ten-lap B-Main in the Rugco GRT/602. The next two events for the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series will be a pair of $2,500-to-win races at Golden Isle Speedway in Brunswick, GA as a part of the Super Bowl of Racing II on February 3-4.
“I wasn’t sure I won it until they told me to go to the winner’s circle,” Johnson said. “I’m glad the finish line wasn’t any closer toward turn four, or David Gentry would be standing here. I really enjoyed that finish, and I hope the fans did too.”
Johnson and Gentry swapped the lead on numerous occasions. Johnson led the first lap, and then it was Gentry leading laps two through nine. Johnson drove around the outside of Gentry coming off the second turn on lap 10 to take the lead. Gentry battled Johnson wheel-to-wheel during the last two laps of the race, bringing the crowd to their feet.
Gentry threw a slider on the “Chattanooga Flash” in turn three on the final lap, and slide up in front of Johnson in turn four. Not to be denied, Johnson turned hard left, stood on the throttle, and powered underneath Gentry to win by less than two feet.
“David got a run on me going down the backstretch as we came up on a lapped car,” Johnson said. “I didn’t think he would go into the third turn as hard as he did, but when he slipped up in front of me, I just turned hard left, and got a good bite coming off the fourth turn.”
For Johnson and Gentry, the last two turns of the last lap in the main event were identical to the same turns on the final lap of the 10-lap StormPay.com Lightning Quick 6 Dash. Johnson used the same move to win that, and the pole position for the main event.
Gentry had to settle for second in the main event driving the Gentry Racing Mastersbilt/604. Gentry has a win and second-place effort in the first two 2006 StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series events, and now holds an eight-point lead in the National Touring point standings.
Jeff Smith of Villanow, GA took the third spot in the Smith & Sons Trucking Warrior/604. Smith was also the fast qualifier among the 42 entrants with a lap around the 3/10-mile high-banked clay oval in 15.040 seconds for an average speed of 59.840 miles per hour.
Frankie Beard of Hartwell, GA finished fourth in the Old 29 Golf Carts Barry Wright/604, and earned the Rookie of the Race honors. Beard is now tied with Johnson for the second spot in the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series National point standings. Mike Head of Ellenwood, GA came from the 14th starting spot to finish fifth in the Bearden Oil Company Rayburn/604.
Scott Cook of Shelbyville, TN was sixth in the KES, Inc. Warrior/604, and Carnell Parker of Clarksville, TN started 19th and finished seven in the Parker Racing Mastersbilt/604 to earn the NeSmith Chevrolet Hard Charger of the Race Award. Parker also won the first of two 12-lap B-Mains after starting 12th.
Shannon Buckingham of Morristown, TN took the eighth spot in the S & S Millwright Barry Wright/604. Buckingham moved up to the fourth spot in the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series National points chase, 14 points behind Beard and Johnson.
Rookie of the Year Candidate Michael Page of Douglasville, GA came from the 21st starting spot to finish ninth in the T & T Trucking Mastersbilt/604, and Tracy Watson of Carrollton, GA rounded out the top ten in the NAPA Auto Parts Rocket/604, coming back from an early race spin.
Johnson and Gentry led the 24-car starting field down for the green flag of the main event, and raced the first two laps wheel-to-wheel. Johnson edged Gentry to lead the first lap, but Gentry took the point on lap two. Michael Keener of Temple, GA stalled his Peach State Insurance Rocket/602 in turn two on lap four to bring out the first of five caution flags.
Gentry led Johnson, Smith, Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, GA in the Turner Excavating Rocket/604, and Beard down for the restart. Gentry and Johnson pulled away from Smith, and by lap seven, the lead duo were working lapped traffic. On lap ten, Gentry got caught behind a lapped car on the inside of the track, and Johnson powered by to take the lead.
Curtis Cline of Douglasville, GA spun the J.L. Brooks Construction Warrior/604 in turn four on lap 14 to bring out the second caution flag. Johnson led the field to the green for the restart with Gentry, Smith, Turner, Beard, Jeff Purvis of Clarksville, TN in the StormPay.com Warrior/604, Head, Denny Slayton of Rossville, GA, Zach Nichols of Cedartown, GA, and Cook in the top ten.
Watson spun down the front straightaway on the restart to light the caution bulb for the third time. After the restart, Purvis dropped out of the sixth spot on lap 17 with a broken power steering hose, but the field stayed green until lap 27 when Nichols spun the B & B Specialized Hauling GRT/604 in turn two.
Before that caution flag, Johnson and Gentry had pulled away from Smith and the rest of the field, but with things closed up for the restart, a battle started for the sixth through tenth positions. The five-car battle featured Head, Slayton, Cook, Parker, and Buckingham.
They all got together in turn one on lap 30, sending the defending StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series National Champion Slayton spinning through the infield in the Pete Slayton Motorsports GRT/604. During the last caution period of the race, Turner gave up the fourth spot to make a pit stop.
Johnson set the table for the ten-lap dash to the finish followed by Gentry, Smith, Beard, Head, Parker, Cook, Page, Buckingham, and Watson. Parker started smoking after the restart, and lost a spot to Cook. Buckingham passed Page for the eighth position, but during the final laps, the hardest fought battle was the one for the lead.
After Gentry seemed on his way to his second straight StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series win, Johnson had one last burst of horsepower out of his engine to power home with the victory.
In other preliminary action, Jeff Jones of Dalton, GA won the second ten-lap B-Main in the Rugco GRT/602. The next two events for the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series will be a pair of $2,500-to-win races at Golden Isle Speedway in Brunswick, GA as a part of the Super Bowl of Racing II on February 3-4.
